July 2009
by DateMe
Summary: Entries for the fanfiction section of the July contest. Entries listed in order of submission. Challenge: Sun and Sand, Pairing: GaaHina.
1. Of Stories, Beaches and Fieldtrips by

**Title:** Of Stories, Beaches, and Fieldtrips  
**Author:** MissLe  
**Rating:** G ( K )  
**Challenge:** Sun and Sand  
**Pairing:** GaaHina

We ask that you PLEASE refrain from reviewing this story here. If you would like to do so, please visit MissLe's ("lemonfishy" on dA) personal profile.

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Once upon a time there was a castle.

The castle stood tall and proud on a warm, sandy beach that was constantly being warmed by sun or cooled by gentle breezes of the ocean breeze. One could go as far as to say it was a paradise. However, the castle was situated on a lonely peninsula in which no one ventured for fear of being cursed by the witch who lived in the nearby forest, meaning the prince of the castle was left alone to his very lonely devices for many, many years.

The prince, although he stopped pining for the contact of humans instead of the sea creatures he was so familiar with years ago, still nonetheless _required_ human contact, for without which, he would surely become insane. So, he compromised with himself. He would find a wife who was both a child of the sea and land, he would seduce her and once fallen for him, he would never let her leave his castle.

Very soon, he found a mermaid who perched herself on a rock along his beach every day, stroking her hair and singing as she stared off at the sea with troubled expressions. When he first found her, she had been a terrified and meek little thing who insisted that she must return to her underwater home. However, the prince could be very charming and soon after a few visits, he managed to gain her trust and comfort.

The mermaid was still a shy thing who blushed at any compliment the prince gave her and denied any reason for them to be true. This constantly confused the prince because the compliments he gave her weren't lies and each one he gave was true; she _was_ very beautiful, her voice was very soothing, and when she sang he was _sure_ that the ocean would calm itself and listen to her.

It did not take long for the prince to begin falling for the mermaid in his twisted plan to make _her_ love _him_. But he never planned to tell her. It would only serve to make him look weak. His desire to make her his wife only grew stronger now when finally, when he was sure that she was sufficiently in love with him, he asked her to marry him.

He had not been expecting her to burst into tears at his proposal.

Nor had he been expecting her to dive back into the ocean.

He also had not been expecting her to return several weeks later on the same rock.

Her eyes were still pearly with tears as she held his face in her hands and whispered to him, "I am already wedded to another. I do not love him, but he is good to me and I cannot break his trust with the love I have for you."

He closed his eyes and leaned against her calming touch that smoothed back his unruly hair. "I...see. Will you return to him?"

She gave a small smile and retracted her hands, only to have them recaptured by the prince's larger ones. Slowly, she shook her head. "No. It would be too torturous and unfair for the both of us if I return." She looked up at him and whispered, "How would you like to die with me?"

The prince mulled over this for a moment as he turned her soft hand over in his. He looked at her and smiled finally. "I would very much like that."

So the two sat on the rock and called towards to ocean, asking for her to take both of them.

--

"...and the ocean, moved by their devotion towards each other and the mermaid's singing, took the two and for them cried many tears, filling her own waters with salt." The tour guide finished her story and motioned to the grand mural painted on one of the walls.

"That was...the most _romantic_ story I have ever heard." Ino gushed and leaned against Sakura in a semi-swoon.

"I know. It's like...The Little Mermaid mixed with Romeo and Juliet!" Sakura clasped her hands together and smiled wistfully. "I wish that _someone_ showed that much devotion to me, eh, Hinata?" She glared at Neji who was adamantly avoiding her gaze.

"Hm," Hinata smiled back. "I suppose."

"Where's the moral in _that_ story? 'Dying is better than cheating?'" Naruto wrinkled his nose petulantly. "I mean, stories like that _are_ supposed to have morals, right?"

"You idiot." Sasuke smacked his head and crossed his arms. "That wasn't supposed to be a story about morals. It was one of those explanatory ones. It was a myth to explain the salt in the ocean."

Naruto merely grumbled and rubbed his head. "Whatever."

"Now, let's continue the tour, shall we?" The sweet voiced tour guide asked and beckoned for the class to follow her.

"You heard the lady, c'mon." Kakashi ushered his class after the tour guide as he kept an eye on her round bottom. "We've got more stuff to...see." He followed the majority in behind the tour guide and barged through the crowd of students to get ahead and chat up the pretty and young tour guide, smacking heads as he saw fit.

"Are...are you coming, Gaara?" Hinata asked quietly as she waited for the silent boy to follow. She wasn't very surprised when Kakashi hadn't noticed her staying behind; she was very much the definition of a wallflower.

He glanced over at as she walked to stand next to him to stare at the mural. "Hn."

"Did you like the story?" She asked and reached out to gently run her fingers over the picture of the mermaid caressing the prince's face that was contorted in anguish. She brushed her fingers along his painted brow as if to smooth it before letting her hand drop to her side.

"I really have no opinion on it." He frowned at the mural and tilted his head.

"None at all?" She looked at him with a frown and pursed her lips. "You can't not have an opinion on it; it was either boring, romantic, or sad." She glanced back at the castle hallway that their class disappeared down. "Why did you decide to stay here if you weren't interested in it?"

"This wall...there's a crack..." He reached out and stuck his fingers in the barely seen crack that was held between the crease of the two lovers' held hands. Eyes widening, he jerked his hand out and stared at the crack with kneaded eyebrows.

"What happened? A-are you okay?" Hinata stretched her arm out to grasp his before he glared down at her momentarily, causing a blush to cross her face that turned down to the ground suddenly. "S-sorry." She whispered.

"There's a latch." He looked around the wall for a plaque or sign indicating what it may have been. When he noticed nothing, he held his arm out in front of her. "Stand back."

"Why? You're n-not actually going to open it are you?" She gasped and stared at the wall incredulously. "This is illegal, isn't it?"

He gave her an annoyed glance before putting his hand into the crack and pulled. Hinata held her breath for a moment as nothing happened and desperately looked around for security cameras, security _guards_, and perhaps any other possible witnesses. Suddenly, a groan of unused metal and stone sounded as the painted rock the mermaid sat on pushed back into the wall, revealing a tunnel just large enough to walk while crouching your head in a painful manner.

Gaara stepped forward and into the tunnel before turning around briefly to look at her. "You coming?"

"You're _going_?" She gasped and spluttered for a moment as she stared at the dark tunnel fearfully. "How will you see?" She whispered quietly.

He brought out his cell phone and shone the light into the tunnel. "Are you going to come?"

Giving the hallway in which the class disappeared down a longing glance, she turned to the red haired boy and nodded before following his lead. The tunnel twisted here and there occasionally, but that was the most that Hinata could tell from it. Mainly all she could see was Gaara's crouched back and the blue glow contrast against his flaming red hair.

There was a thump as Gaara and her only source of light disappeared from view. Panicking, she reached out to find nothing in her grip except air. "Gaara?" She hissed, terrified of what may have happened.

"Watch your—"

Hinata tumbled down a hole in the floor, shielding her arms from the impact, only to land on the fleshy firmness of her classmate who happened to be the unfortunate landing pad of her unfortunate fall. She relaxed and let out a groan of relief, letting her head fall to hit whatever dirt may have been beneath her and Gaara.

Except, dirt wasn't supposed to rise or fall, or be warm, or smell distinctly like cologne. Hinata went rigid as the full implications of where she was, who she was on, and how inappropriate the position the two of them were currently in sink in. She could feel his breath blow gently against her ear, could feel the steady pound of pulse beside her ear, and could feel his hands that were against her hips to prevent her from crushing him too much from her fall warm against her exposed skin.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his throat vibrating against her cheek that had delved itself into the crook of his neck on accident.

"Y-yes." She breathed, her eyes wide as she sat up on her elbows, prepared to get up fully and _forget_ what had just happened. "Are you?"

"Yes. Now get off." He glared at the rock ceiling that held the hole the both of them fell down and added as an afterthought, "Please."

Blushing, she nodded and quickly climbed off of him, brushing the sand off of herself. She waited for him to stand and do the same thing before asking, "Where are we?"

Gaara picked up his cell phone off the floor and shone it around the dark atmosphere. It seemed to be a cave of sorts in which a small lake or large pond was centred within, the water trickled out (or in) of the cave from a small creek that led out of a small tunnel emitting faint light.

"We go out there." He pointed at the thin ledge beside the creek. "It'll lead us outside."

"Are you s-sure?" Hinata asked quietly.

He nodded before heading down. "I can smell the ocean."

They followed the ledge carefully before the light grew and the both of them were standing on soft sand, facing an incredibly blue ocean.

Hinata gave a small smile and murmured. "I always did love this beach."

"We're fairly far from the castle." Gaara commented and looked back at the castle a bit of a distance away on the other side of the beach. "Maybe we should head back."

"What?" She finally tore her gaze away from the ocean and pouted. "If you wanted to head back so quick, why did you bother opening that wall and coming, a-anyways?"

"Curiosity."

"Well, let's stay, just for a bit, please?" She smiled at the beach and kicked off her shoes delicately. "I really doubt that they've noticed that we're missing. And this is infinitely better th-than a stuffy dark castle, isn't it?" Trotting up to the water, she put her feet in and wriggled her toes in the wet sand.

Gaara blinked before slowly lowering himself to sit down on the white sand. "What do you suppose this place is?"

"I'm not—" Hinata suddenly tread deeper into the water until she was past her knees and threatening to get her shorts wet. The rock standing in the water was tall, tall enough for her to sit on and be marginally taller than Gaara, yet oddly enough barely covered in barnacles. Determinedly, she cast aside the apprehension of getting her clothes wet and began to climb up the rock to sit upon it.

"Hn. Perhaps there are some truths to stories."

Hinata glanced down at Gaara who was now standing in the water beside the rock she managed to sit on and watched as he brushed his long fingers against it. Noticing her staring, he looked back up with an intense gaze that always managed to make her shift uncomfortably.

Unable to stop herself, Hinata blurted out, "We used to t-talk a lot. Or...at least a lot f-for people like us." She murmured the last part quietly and swung her dangling feet.

"Yes." He murmured. "We did." He stare was unwavering as he said this still.

"What changed?" She asked back softly and drew patterns into the stone with her finger.

He shrugged and scratched his forehead, effectively breaking their gaze. "Nothing. Maybe something. I'm not sure."

"Did you ever get that tattoo?" Hinata asked and brushed the vibrant hair from his forehead. "I remember trying to convince you when we were thirteen not to g-get it on your forehead like you wanted."

"Yes." He closed his eyes and let her fingers wander around his forehead, fussing with his hair, pressing back the creases from his eyebrows.

"Where is it then?"

He reached up to the collar of his shirt to pull it back, revealing the black inked tattoo right above his collar bone against the side of his neck. Hinata reached out hesitantly to touch it lightly with warm fingers. "Did it hurt?"

"...Yes." He reached out to grab her wrist to examine the underside of it. When he found nothing that he was looking for, he placed it back against his neck.

"What'd it feel like?" The tattoo was still somewhat 3-D looking still, which meant that it was fairly new. Which meant it was probably painful for her to be touching it. Jerking her hand away, she placed it in her lap and watched as his eyebrow rose at her.

"Like a vibrating needle being jabbed into my skin for a seemingly longer period of time than it actually was."

Hinata laughed softly. "Of course. Silly me." She glanced back at the castle and gave a small sigh. "Perhaps we should head back, shouldn't we?"

"Hn." He nodded and watched her look down at the water uncomfortably. Getting up was always so much easier than getting down. Reaching up with one hand, he flicked his wrist impatiently. "Do you need help?"

She nodded meekly and took his hand, only to have it pulled out her grasp to be placed on one hip like the other one was. "Ready?" He asked and tightened his firm grip marginally.

"Y-yes." She whispered and squirmed off the rock edge, ready for the fall that was softened by Gaara's unyielding grip. "Let's go back."

She had almost reached the shoreline before Gaara gripped her wrist and lightly yanked her back to face him. He shifted uncomfortably before saying, "I mess things up. A lot of things. Friendships...relationships of any sort." He gripped his head in frustration as he attempted to get the words out. "I...didn't want to make a mess of ours."

Hinata blinked before slipping her hand out of his grip and holding his hand between the both of hers as she examined them. "I'm..." She glanced up at him with a small smile and a blush. "I'm p-pretty good at cleaning mess u-up though."

It was his turn to blink as he gave a small upturn of his lip before walking towards the dry beach where there shoes were, followed by Hinata who was anxiously waiting for a reply.

"That's good." He finally said and waited for her as she picked up her shoes to carry, a large grin on her face.

---

Uh...actually the SIXTH Dateme contest entry. Totally thought that it'd be more.

Gooooo figure.

Ciao,  
lemonfishy


	2. Memories by fleacollar999

**Title:** Memories  
**Author:** fleacollar999  
**Rating:** PG ( K+ )  
**Challenge:** Sun and Sand  
**Pairing:** GaaHina

We ask that you PLEASE refrain from reviewing this story here. If you would like to do so, please visit fleacollar999's personal DeviantArt profile.

The Suna sun shone red as its dying light hit upon the desk of the Kazekage. To him, it looked like blood.

Gaara shook his head to clear the thoughtand looked up at his bookcase, to what he liked to call his "shelf of memories". There were several knick-knacks on the shelf, but the most prominent among them was an hourglass filled with sand.

The hourglass was given to him by Hyuuga Hinata, the ambassador from Konoha, after she witnessed him terrorizing his receptionist for scheduling two important meetings at the same time.

It was an honest mistake, Hinata had said and handed him the hourglass. _It's like this—no matter what you do to the sand it will still measure only an hour. You may be able to dominate the sand, but there are some things you just can't control._

Gaara's eyes slid to the next item, a handmade wooden fan emblazoned with the Hyuuga flame.

_It's traditional_, Hinata had said to him, _for an ambassador to bring a gift for the Kage._

No one ever told him how she had known he collected ceremonial fans.

The next item was a seashell, collected when both the Hokage and Kazekage had been present at a summit in the Land of Waves. It had been a beautiful day and Hinata was staring out the window during the meeting.

_I've been told that you can hear the sea if you hold a seashell up to your ear_, was her reply when Gaara asked her what was the matter.

The look on her face when he brought her a shell the next day was all the payment he needed for taking the trouble of going out to find it.

Propped up against the shell was a strip of pictures from a photo booth. IT was their first date that Hinata had insisted they clamber into the dirty old booth to have their picture taken. One photo showed Hinata's blush as the Kazekage put his arm around her; another showed Gaara's blush as she kissed his cheek.

Hinata had given him the last item the night before their wedding. It was one of Shukaku's claws and Gaara had no idea how she had gotten it.

_It's good to know where you've been_, Hinata had said as he stared silently at the claw,_ but you should never forget where you're going._

He smiled as he remembered how Hinata had blushed when he kissed her.

The red sun sank below the horizon and Gaara realized with a start just how long he had been reminiscing. He spared one last glance for his shelf as he got up to leave; for now, he would go home to his wife and child.

Tonight, he would amuse Aiko with animals of sand to make her and her mother smile.

Tomorrow, who knew what the Kazekage would do, but he would put a picture of a baby girl on a shelf, next to an hourglass.


	3. Sandman by Dniascienee Rhinst

**Title:** Sandman  
**Author:** Dnaiscienne Rhinst  
**Rating:** T (PG-13)  
**Challenge:** Sun and Sand  
**Pairing:** GaaHina

We ask that you PLEASE refrain from reviewing this story here. If you would like to do so, please visit Dnaiscienne Rhinst's personal profile.

-

**Sandman**

**-**

**- **

The rising sun tinted the pristine sands of the shore a light golden color as it peeked over the horizon. Three pairs of footprints, becoming less visible as the waves moved to and fro, continued to trail the seaside in what seemed to be a leisurely stroll.

"Oi, Temari, We've been walking for the past two minutes. Just pick a damn spot so we could relax already," one of the footprint-owners said.

"I was just about to tell you that this is our spot," the second one replied placing her hands on her hips and glaring at her companion. "That was until you interrupted me," she finished showing her displeasure, making exasperated gestures in the air.

"Pfft. Yeah, right," with a roll of his eyes, he ignored her annoyed stare and proceeded to setting up their spot. "Gaara, you can unfold the chairs right over there," he instructed their silent companion whose reply was a mere nod.

"Did you bring the sunscreen?" the one named Temari asked.

"Yeah, it's in the bag. Not much use though, considering there is barely any sun. Honestly, we're too early no one's even here yet." Kankuro said as he scanned the beach for any other people. When he found none, he went back to fishing things out of the backpack he had brought and continued setting up.

"Gaara doesn't seem to mind. Do you Gaara?" she turned to her other brother expectantly. Like Kankuro, the only response she got was a slight shake of his head as he laid their beach mats upon the sand.

"See," She stuck out her tongue and crossed her arms in front of her petulantly.

"I only agreed to come because you said there were a lot of babes here. Right now there are only three of us and I'm hardly interested in ogling either of you."

Temari shrugged him off saying, "Like you said it's too early. They'd come eventually. Until then, you can fix yourself or something. Besides, it's way easier to relax without other people around."

"Whatever," Kankuro replied with his back turned to her. "I still would have preferred camping over this." He walked towards the ocean and stopped short until he was slightly distanced from his siblings. He then proceeded to setting up their portable barbecue grill muttering something about how barbecues were more appropriate in the woods.

Gaara, who had been silent during the entire time, turned to look at his sister with a knot forming above his eyes. Tilting his head ever so slightly he voiced his confusion by asking, "He doesn't know, does he?" He made a motion with his head towards his sulking brother.

Temari, with a smug smile, replied, "You know your brother Gaara. He's as stubborn as a mule. He wouldn't have agreed to hold our annual outing at the beach. He's so bent on that camping stuff that I had to tell him there'd be a lot of _babes_ here. He is a playboy above anything."

"This is a private beach. You lied to him," Gaara had said it with such indifference that Temari knew he was only pressing on the matter because of curiosity and not because of her unjust treatment. Their trip, afterall, should've been decided by taking vote. Since Gaara had no opinion of the matter and just agreed with whatever they wanted, Temari had only Kankuro to _convince _or deceive in Gaara's opinion.

"Well if he wasn't smart enough to figure that out after us having to use father's connections and paying a lot for the reservations then I don't see how it's really my fault. Besides, I didn't lie. There could be girls here soon, though not as many as he would have imagined. The receptionist did talk about other parties having a reservation for today."

"Right," he drawled, not quite believing her. He gave his sister another curious glance before continuing, "So, what have you planned for this year?"

Temari gave him a wry smile and answered, "Why, Gaara! I don't know what you're talking about." Her expression shifted from mock innocence into complacency as if saying, _'you'll find out soon enough…'_

If Gaara was unnerved by his sister's behavior, he showed no signs of it. He was, however, a little wary and decided to proceed with caution from this point onwards. He could tell his sister knew what he had been talking about.

Every year, during the last Wednesday of the first month of summer, the Sabaku siblings would have an intense prank-pulling contest on each other or _prankathon_, as Kankuro would call it. It had been tradition present since Gaara had been old enough to pull pranks—which was when he learned how to walk and put his dirty diapers under his brother's pillow, his first ever prank at an impressive age of one. The venue for the annual summer outing would serve as their stage and should normally have been chosen by the best prankster of the previous year. However, since it had been Gaara who kept on winning and he didn't mind nor did he particularly care about the next venue, Temari and Kankuro were naturally left to argue amongst themselves. Planning the venue and taking the resources available in it into account is necessary for a good prank after all.

Unbeknownst to the two, their supposedly clueless brother had been listening intently on their exchange. Although he was at a distance, he had understood every word uttered, some of which he had to read from their lip movements. He could feel himself smirking. The advantage of being thought stupid was that people often underestimated you. Now, he knew neither of his siblings thought of him as such but if they didn't think he had anything up his sleeves they sure as hell would regret being wrong.

-o-o-o-

On another part of the same beach, three other figures were already enjoying themselves, already finished setting up their spot.

"Hinata, you should seriously take that jacket off. It'll be too hot soon you might get heat stroke or something," one with unruly auburn hair said as he petted a big white dog.

Hinata, being shy as she was, flustered at the thought of showing any skin and timidly replied, " I-it's alright. I'm more comfortable this way Kiba-kun."

Kiba just shrugged and continued to play with his dog.

"Thanks again for inviting us to stay at your family's summer rest house. It sure is awesome living near the beach. Of course it probably ain't as awesome as owning said beach. It must totally rock being a Hyuuga, eh? What do you think Shino?"

Shino who had been poking the sand with a stick paused and turned to look at him. "You're embarrassing Hinata," he said pointedly and continued what he was doing.

"Uh-huh. I'm just saying thanks, right Hina?"

"A-ano… There's no need to thank me. I-it's me who should be grateful that you accompanied me. H-hyuuga family outings are more about work than fun and father barely spends time with u-us it gets really boring."

"You're dad's just an old stick-in-the-mud. Anyway, since you're so thankful how about you express that gratitude of yours?" Kiba smirked at her.

She tilted her head and asked, "H-how?"

"Kiss me."

Ah… Same old Kiba shamelessly flirting with her. Of course she knew he only harbored platonic feelings of friendship—they were after all best friends—but that didn't make her any less embarrassed. Shino just rolled his eyes at Kiba's antics.

"K-Kiba-kun!" She touched her face willing her blush to go away.

He pouted. "Is it because I'm not blond?" They all knew he was referring to only one particular blond.

Despite her embarrassment she giggled at him and lightly ruffled his hair like a dog's.

"I don't like blond's anymore Kiba-kun." '_At least not that much anymore,'_ she added as an afterthought.

"But seriously Hina, you should practice kissing especially since," He pretended to hesitate and darted his eyes from side-to-side as if watching for anyone else listening to their conversation. He lowered his voice and in a loud whisper said, "since this very beach is cursed… They say only a kiss can break it…"

"C-cursed?" Now, Hinata wasn't particularly afraid of horror stories but naïve as she was she knew not how to disbelieve any story told to her and she readily accepts them as truth unless obviously false. And obvious to her meant poking her in the eye.

And so Kiba began to narrate the curse of the beach, "Once upon a time there was a man who fell in love with a woman…" He checked his companions and felt satisfied when both stopped what they were doing to listen to him. After all, he wasn't lying; this beach did have a famous myth surrounding it. He had the whole week before their trip researching it so he could _wow_ his friends by his knowledge of folklore.

"The man had never loved before and everyone thought him to be coarse and calloused as the sand. Many maidens have tried to proclaim their love for him for he was a handsome man and what person did not desire that which they could not obtain? But much like the sand he was compared to he slipped from their grasp not one could claim his heart."

"H-how did he fall in love then?" Hinata's eyes were wide and curious, like a child being told a bedtime story.

Kiba chuckled, "I was getting to that… No one could capture his heart until people began to wonder if he ever had one. People avoided him afraid of someone who was incapable of love—a monster.

"Devoid of human contact and unfeeling of any emotion, he began to doubt his own humanity. One day, while walking by the shore he came across a sight that took his breath away.

"There, sitting on top of a cliff was the most beautiful maiden he had ever laid his eyes upon. He immediately thought of her as the ocean. Her presence, serene, tranquil, and calming yet her eyes shone with determination indomitable like the waves during a tempest."

Shino snickered.

"What?"

"Nothing…I just didn't think you were poetic."

Kiba glared at him and huffed.

"Continue please?" Hinata asked eagerly.

"Right… Where was I? Ah yes… He put his hand right above his chest and wondered if the repeating rhythmic sound he had been hearing was indeed coming from inside him. His eyes widened when he realized what was producing the sound. A heart! He had a heart—a proof of his humanity, his ability to feel, his capacity for love. He knew just had to know her and reach out to her.

"She was nowhere near him for he was below by the shore and she was standing on a cliff, head raised defiantly, hair fluttering with the wind. He was about to make a move to call to her but, before he could even utter a cry she had jumped off head first. The instant before she made contact with the water, their eyes had met and she had offered him a smile.

"When he got to the spot where he had seen her fall, he began searching for her but only in vain. The ocean had taken her away.

"Not wanting to separate himself from the only girl whom he had felt a feeling remotely akin to love. He decided to bury himself alive by the shore where the ocean caresses the sand fondly as one would to a lover…"

o-o-o

"And so…" Kankuro stood up and with his hands made a motion as if trying to grab something. "It is said that at times when the waves don't reach him, his face pops out from the ground asking to be relieved from his prison of sand by a kiss as the wave does the shore…"

"That. Was. Lame." Temari said as he gave his brother an odd look. "You honestly believe that this sandman exists?"

"Nope. But the myth does add to the tourist attraction in this area," he said sitting back down. "What did you think Gaara?"

"It would have been a decent story if you told it properly."

"What do you mean told properly?"

Temari snickered and imitating his voice, began to retell the story mockingly, "_There was this sand dude who fell in love with this hot babe… The dude was a total prick blah blah blah—_Need I say more?"

"Tsk. Whatever."

He moved towards the cooler and produced two bottles of juice. "Here. It's pretty hot so you guys should have a drink." He tossed a bottle to each.

Gaara eyed the drink warily. He could be paranoid or this could be a prank. Kankuro is _never_ this thoughtful. Then again although their pranks were extreme, they had an unspoken rule not to cause severe injuries to each other so there was probably little risk of the juice being poisoned.

Temari, on the other hand, had no qualms about voicing her suspicion, "What's with this all of a sudden?"

"What? A brother can no longer care for his siblings? Consider it payback for the sunscreen you gave me. I don't want you nagging me about it so this is equivalent exchange, kay?"

Temari shrugged and downed her drink in five gulps. Gaara drank it so it probably was safe. Besides, Kankuro already used her _sunscreen_. She smirked inwardly at the thought. Kankuro thought he had forgotten his own sunscreen when, in fact, she had taken it left it on purpose. Unfortunately, Gaara had declined her offer claiming that he had already applied some before they left—clever little devil. She'd have to think of another prank for him.

She was feeling a little sleepy so maybe she'd do it later. She told her brothers to wake her up after a few minutes. All the excitement was draining her energy.

o-o-o

The day passed by quickly for the Hyuuga heiress. She spent the majority of it playing with Kiba and his dog, Akamaru. They also helped Shino build a very intricate sandcastle complete with tiny bugs as citizens. There weren't many people around but Hinata still felt a little embarrassed to remove her jacket so she just opted to wading about the shallow waters instead of swimming. It was the so much fun that she almost hadn't noticed it was already afternoon.

"Neji-nii would be arriving with Hanabi to join us soon…"

"That's nice…" Kiba said, not really paying attention.

"The breeze sure is refreshing… W-would you guys want to take a walk with me?"

"You go on ahead Hinata. Shino and I are still adding the final touches on our castle."

Shino just nodded at her and said, "We'll join you later. Just don't wander too far and don't talk to anyone suspicious."

She smiled and nodded back at them. It was adorable how they were always overprotective of her.

"Oh and Hina," Kiba decided to add, "If you see the sandman of the beach… Be sure not to ravage him _too much_ for me… A kiss would suffice but if you want to go to the next level then yo—"

SMACK!

Kiba rubbed his aching head were Shino's palm had just made contact. Hinata giggled and gave them one last glance before walking away. She could still hear Kiba complaining and Shino berating him about corrupting the innocent minds.

Before she was completely out of earshot, she heard Kiba shouting, "Remember Hina, It has to be on the lips… Ouch! Damn it Shino!"

o-o-o

Temari yawned and stretched lazily. How long had she been sleeping? The sun hasn't set yet so it couldn't have been too long. She couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of the vast expense of the ocean. Odd. She could feel the ground shifting from where she was sitting. Come to think of it she couldn't see the ground at all.

That was when she realized, with utmost dismay, she was sitting on a raft in the middle of the ocean. She had probably been sleeping there for hours already. _'Kankuro,'_ she thought as she gritted her teeth. So the juice was drugged!

"I hope you're enjoying your sunburns you jackass!" She shouted towards the direction of the shore.

As if mocking her, she noticed that her raft had several inflatable sharks floating around it ._Funny…_ She also found a note:

_Gone swimming with some girls. I'd introduce them to you but you seem to be busy at the moment. Hope you appreciate the little details I added. It completes the whole castaway theme I have going on for you..._

_PS_

_Thank you very much for the sunburn… Although it hurts like hell, the chicks dig my new tan so I forgive you…_

_PPS_

_There's a paddle there. I suggest you start immediately after you read this you have a long way to go… Let's just hope you don't get biceps bigger than mine after this… that would just look wrong.. _

_PPPS_

… _Gaara's busy at the moment you can come see him though, I doubt he'll move from his spot… _

~_Your genius brother… King of the prankathon_

_- _

Temari rolled her eyes. Typical. As she tried to refold the piece of paper, her eye caught something attached to it.

"No way!" Temari uttered in disbelief as she stared at her youngest brother in a photograph taken from an instant camera.

As Temari paddled her way to shore, she couldn't help but think that maybe Kankuro might have won their contest this year.

o-o-o

Sky. It was peaceful as he watched what little clouds it had move lazily across. That was all he'd been doing for the past couple of hours. He sighed. Kankuro might have pulled a nice one on him but it didn't bother him much though he was getting bored. He was glad that the winds weren't that strong, otherwise, the sand would probably get in his eyes and that would be annoying.

He could feel his back starting to itch but couldn't do anything about it so he contented himself by just releasing another sigh. He vaguely wondered how Temari was doing. If he knew his brother the way he did then she'd probably be drifting somewhere in the middle of the ocean.

At least his brother was considerate enough to cover his ears to avoid sand from entering. Did Kankuro really have to tie his hands behind his back though?

He let out a small smile. Kankuro wanted to win badly. He smile turned to a devious smirk. Too bad he didn't know what he'd been up against.

o-o-o

Kankuro was feeling smug. He got to prank his siblings and was now enjoying his beach time with cute girls. Oh yeah, he was feeling really smug.

"Girls, girls there's plenty of me to go around," he said as he draped one arm over one of the bikini clad girls he'd met.

"You're so awesome Kankuro"

"Well I do try…" He grinned at her.

"Kankuro-kun, can you show us how fast you can swim?" One of the girls asked cutely.

"Yeah!" the rest followed.

"Alright, alright. Just stand back and watch then."

He proceeded to swimming a few laps back and forth from the shore to a visible rock at a distance. He was feeling so elated that nothing could have ruined the moment for him. The cheering of the girls further increased his motivation to show off so he did more laps than necessary. It was rare for him to be this popular with girls especially since they preferred his little brother over him. When he was through, he swam back to the shore. As he was standing up, collective gasps were heard from his audience. Kankuro blinked, confused.

His pants were missing.

Ah… He was wondering what Gaara's prank was. If anything he felt more smug now that before.

'_Tsk. Gaara, Gaara, that prank again? You already pulled that one when were twelve?'_

True enough it was one of Gaara's most embarrassing pranks on him. Cutting the elastics of his shorts to reveal his _pride and glory_. Since then, he had learned his lesson and began wearing briefs underneath his swimming shorts. At the prospect of outwitting his little brother he felt proud… that was until he heard the girls comment.

"Isn't Thomas a man's name?"

"Eew… He's gay!"

"He slept with a man? Eww?"

Say what?

He glanced down at his briefs and flinched.

Written in permanent ink were the following:

_Property of Thomas Smith. If lost you know where to find me baby…_

_- _

Kankuro twitched.

o-o-o

Hinata had wandered a little too far from her friends and found herself at another part of the beach. The part was a little more secluded but the view for the ocean from there was breathtaking. She loved the beach. The breeze, the sea, even the sand stuck between her toes. She satisfied herself by closing her eyes and just standing there for a moment.

Gaara did not flinch when he felt a foot—specifically toes—resting on his forehead. He did however stare at the girl who owned the said toes. _'The chick was beautiful. Calming, and peaceful like the ocean'_ He remembered Kankuro's words about the girl in the story. Staring at the oblivious girl above him, he noted that she was indeed _beautiful _like the ocean. _She even has blue hair_, he mused.

He contemplated whether he should alert her of his presence but decided that he'd rather wait and see her reaction once she does notice him. Although he hoped she wouldn't have to step on his nose to see him.

Hinata knotted her brows. _This is odd_. The sand beneath her right foot didn't feel like sand. It felt more like hair and… skin?

She glanced down only to gasp as she saw eyes staring right back at her. She flushed and brought her hands to her mouth, her heart racing. _It's the sandman! _She stared at the face sticking out of the sand looking intently at her.

Gaara blinked at the flustered girl._ Well? Wasn't she gonna do anything?_

Hinata's mind on the other hand was in turmoil. What was she gonna do? Should she kiss him? She turned a darker shade of red at the thought. Was he even real? She blinked. _Of course._ She almost smacked herself in the head. '_This couldn't possibly be real. It was just a story after all.'_

She was about to run away and never look back when a thought crossed her mind. _'What if he was real?'_ Her eyes softened. _'It must be lonely in that sand prison…'_

She looked back down at him. Gaara eyed her curiously, interested in the play of emotions on her face. She was… cute.

She crouched down and stared at him with a determined expression. One that said, _'I ain't afraid of no mean sand monster'_

Hinata decided that first of all, she should confirm it if he was real. She grabbed a nearby stick and poked him gently on the forehead. Since it was only his face that was showing and he couldn't crane his neck towards her, he settled glaring at her sideways.

Hinata let out a little 'eep!' when she saw his glare. _Ok… He was definitely real.._

"S-sorry… A-ano, I'm, gonna h-help you now M-mr. Sandman."

Before he even had the chance to say anything she bent down and kissed him on the forehead. He blinked and turned to look at her. She was staring intently at him with a determined expression on her face, although the blush was still present.

He saw her frown and knit her brows drawing her hands on her chins as if contemplating. "I-it didn't work.."

She sounded disappointed and Gaara was _almost _tempted to tell her that he wasn't the cursed sandman of the beach. Almost because he was more curious of what she was gonna do next so he kept quiet.

Hinata thought hard and deep. What had she done wrong? Her eyes widened when realization dawned on her. '_Remember Hina, It has to be on the lips…"_

With determined expression she looked Gaara and put her hands at either side of his face. _'I probably look silly'_ she thought. True, to people who could've seen her she looked as if she were about to make face prints on the sand but, lucky for her, there was no one around.

Slowly, with her eyes closed, she touched his lips with hers. She snuck a peek at him and saw that he too had his eyes closed.

He was pleased with the situation before him. Not only was the girl cute, she also smelled very nice. Perhaps she tasted nice too?

She didn't move from her spot as if waiting for something to happen. She did move when she felt something wet on her lips.

Tracing her lips with a finger, she gave him a confused look and with her other hand pointed an accusing finger at him. "Y-you licked m-me…"

"I did." He could barely hide the look of amusement on his face as he observed her. Her actions were amusing and her blush was adorable.

"W-why?" She tilted her head, her hands unconsciously hovering right below her mouth. _A nervous habit_, he observed.

"You kissed me." He stated plainly.

Her eyes widened when she remembered the reason why she had done so. "I-it didn't w-work?"

He chuckled at her confused expression. So she honestly thought he was some cursed sand monster?

"No. But at least I'm no longer deprived of human contact."

_The nerve of him_. He was making fun of her. She crossed her arm over her chest and huffed. Whether or not she knew she was pouting, he did not know but he still found it adorable.

"You could still help free me." He said monotonously.

She looked at him and, although she was a little bit annoyed and embarrassed, she saw that he was indeed genuinely stuck. With her hands she started digging away the sand that covered his body.

"W-why are you b-buried in the sand anyway?" she asked her curiosity obvious in her pale tinted eyes.

"My brother buried me."

So Mr. Sandman wasn't much of a talker, she observed. Silence stretched among them as she busied herself with digging him out.

He was finally able to move his neck so he was able to observe her properly. He noted her uniquely colored eyes. "You're a Hyuuga."

"Y-yes…"

"You own this resort."

"F-father does."

After a couple of minutes, she was finally able to untie his hands. The rest of the dig had been easy from that point.

With a blush adorning her face, she bowed her head whispering something that he was barely able to hear.

"S-sorry for k-kissing you."

"Hn. What's your name?"

"H-hinata…" She looked at him expectantly waiting for him to mention his name.

"Gaara."

When Hinata returned to her friends, her cousin and sister were already there waiting for her. They did not expect the redhead who was walking beside her. Much to her cousin's chagrin, she invited said redhead for dinner. Hanabi approved, her sister's new friend was hot.

o-o-o

It was later in the afternoon when Temari had found Kankuro by the shallow part of the waters wading about as if looking for something.

"Oi, What are you still doing here? I thought you were celebrating your victory with a bunch of cute girls? Thanks to you my arm hurts like hell."

Kankuro only mumbled something under his breath. It sounded something like, "I'm looking for my shorts. Stupid Gaara! Who the hell is Thomas Smith anyway?"

When Temari got a glance at his underwear, she burst out laughing and even forgot about getting mad at Kankuro for leaving her in the middle of the ocean.

"Looks like Gaara won again this year," She said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

The only difference was Gaara knew where he'd want to spend the summer outing next year.

-

-

**End**


End file.
